Lukashenko: It's absolutely unacceptable for Ukraine's war with Russia to spill over into Belarus

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called it absolutely unacceptable for Ukraine's war with Russia to spill over into Belarus. He stated this in an interview with the Al Arabiya television channel.

The head of state was asked to comment on accusations from Kyiv about Russia's alleged plans to launch a new offensive against Ukraine from Belarus. Asked whether this topic had been discussed with the Russian leader, Alexander Lukashenko assured that the conversation had taken a completely different tone.

"We have said many times that it is absolutely unacceptable for the war between Ukraine and Russia to spill over into Belarus. For various reasons," the President stated. "Putin and I discussed this issue because it has always been a topic of discussion in the media. And I can honestly say, I can quote verbatim, what the Russian President told me: 'We understand that Belarus's entry into the war, into the conflict, in any capacity, is unacceptable. It would do more harm than good.' That's the honest answer to that question."

In the interview, the head of state spoke in great detail and candidly about the reasons for this position.

"First, Belarus (we understand this, which is why we don't want to fight) is extremely vulnerable militarily if Ukraine attacks Belarus the same way it attacks Russia. Because Belarus is in the palm of the Ukrainian military's hand. We understand perfectly well that our key infrastructure—production and logistics—would be under attack. As they have stated, they already have 500 such targets in Belarus identified," Alexander Lukashenko stated.

The second reason, the head of state continued, is that the people of Belarus do not accept war: "We have already suffered enough in history. We understand that many of our soldiers will die. For what? Why should they die?"

The third reason: if Belarus were to enter the war, the frontline would significantly increase in length. "The frontline for Russia, first and foremost (and, naturally, for us), if it were to attack Kyiv from Belarusian territory, would be extended by 1,500 kilometers along the Belarusian-Ukrainian border," said Alexander Lukashenko. "The Russians and I, given the current course of the war, will not be able to ensure the defense of this section."

The president also stated that, if events unfolded, NATO countries supporting Ukraine could deploy their troops there. "And this war would take on a new quality. It would be a war between Belarus and Russia against NATO. Although I do not rule out the possibility that this could happen without this," he said.

According to Alexander Lukashenko, there are a number of other reasons, including humanitarian ones. This is due to how closely intertwined the family ties of people living on both sides of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border are.

"Yesterday, I received a report from our intelligence service about the mood on the other side of the Ukrainian border. And the mood in Belarus. Everything is intertwined there. Belarusian families live in Ukraine, and Ukrainian families live in Belarus, and here in the south. There are joint families – they married, raised children, and lived like normal people. After all, there was no border," the head of state said. "Ukrainians came to us across the border, Belarusians traveled freely to Ukraine. I, too, once traveled to Ukraine. Even my roots are buried somewhere between Chernihiv and Kyiv – my ancestors'. And are we supposed to throw all this aside, forget it, and start a war? No."